2025 U.S. World Trials Previews: Murphy Out But Cal Still Stands Strong In The 200 Back

2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Indiana University Natatorium
• LCM (50 meters)
• World Championship Selection Criteria
• Meet Central
• Live Results

MEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE: BY THE NUMBERS

• World Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 2009
• American Record: 1:51.92, Aaron Peirsol – 2009
• 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials Winner: Ryan Murphy, 1:54.33
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:58.07

The men’s 200 backstroke will be missing a huge name at the U.S National Championships. Ryan Murphy, who has been on every international team for the last decade and has won this event at every American selection meet since 2016, will not compete this year.

That leaves a wide open field for the two spots here, with no one other than Murphy since Jacob Pebley (2017, 2018) making the top two at consecutive Trials. Keaton Jones may have the fastest personal best of the field, but recent history may not be on his side.

The Absentee

Possibly the most important development for this event at Trials this year is that a swimmer won’t be competing. Ryan Murphy recently announced he would be taking the summer off, which leaves a huge hole at the top of this event.

Even though he missed last year’s Olympic final, he was the fastest American man with his 1:54.33 from the Olympic Trials. His 10th-place finish in Paris was the first time since 2015 that he had finished outside the top two at a World Championships or Olympics, and he has proved himself in this event time and time again.

There will be big shoes to fill for whoever makes the top two in 2025.

One Bear Leaves, Two More Appear

Keaton Jones and Destin Lasco are the two most recent non-Murphy World or Olympic qualifiers in this event, and they could go 1-2 this time around to continue the strong Cal legacy.

Jones should be the favourite, the only man to have broken 1:55 in the field. He was an Olympic finalist last year, finishing 5th, and has only improved in yards this season. Cal swimmers have a tendency to swim their best at Trials, so it would be a surprise to see Jones the second-plus off his best of 1:54.61 it would take for him to miss out.

He made the final in 2022 and 2023 as well, and has swum a personal best in all three. He was 1:57.30 just last weekend to take over the #1 spot among U.S. men, and has the experience of getting his hand to the wall when it matters. He built through all three rounds at both Trials and the Olympics last year, which should also stand him in good stead.

Destin Lasco wasn’t quite at his best in yards this year, not breaking 1:36 after doing so in three of the past four seasons. He’s swum the 200 backstroke once this season in meters where he was 2:03.55, but did set a new best in the 200 free just last week.

He is a heavy taper swimmer, so that appears to be a good sign heading into this year’s Trials. He scratched the event last year but finished 2nd in 2023, where he swam his best time of 1:55.63. That may not be enough for a repeat spot this year, but getting down into the low-1:55s would give him an excellent shot.

Lasco has not broken 2:00 since the 2023 World Championships, which may be a concern. However, he has not swum it at a taper meet since then, and as mentioned tends to drop big from his in-season times.  He is entered in the 200 freestyle as well on Day 2,  and has been in the 100 free final in both of the last two years. A free relay spot there is a more likely path to a worlds medal than in this event, even if he has a better shot of an individual place in backstroke. A split focus could harm his chances here.

Jack Aikins had a fantastic Trials last year. He dropped from 1:56 into the 1:54s, but brutally finished 3rd behind Murphy and Jones, overhauled by the younger Cal swimmer in the final 25. The 1:54.78 he swam would have won him silver last summer in Paris: one spot higher than he finished at Trials. He was 4th at the Doha World Championships in 2024, as he had a year of near-misses

Aikins has not had the best year in yards over the last season, breaking 1:40 only once and scratching the event at NCAAs. He competed at Short Course Worlds in December and made the final there, finishing 7th, but his path to the team in the big pool has opened up without Murphy in the picture. He has time to give from and still make the team, but will need to be close to his best to ensure he’s in the top two.

However, outside of last year’s Trials, Aikins has not broken 1:56. He’s only been 2:00.41 so far this year after coming into Olympic Trials in 2024 with a season-best of 1:57.52, so he’ll need to drop big from his times so far this year to be in the hunt.

The Race Behind

The top three were locked in their own battle last year, with 4th place over two seconds back. Tommy Janton was the best of the rest, but Daniel Diehl is possibly the bigger threat.

Diehl finished joint-third in 2023 in what is still his personal best of 1:56.04. He was only 1:57.60 in last year’s final to take 6th, but has been 1:58.67 this year already to sit as the fifth-fastest American. He is one of a small number of U.S. college backstrokers who seem to be stronger in long course, and he’ll hope to make the most of a weaker field this year.

He was 1:57.29 in the semi-finals last year, but has traditionally been good at dropping time in finals. He’s got the 100 speed to take this race out, and after two years of slight stagnation for him he could be ready to drop again in the backstroke events.

Tommy Janton hasn’t raced in yards this season with his college team, Notre Dame, suspended for the season due to a gambling scandal. He has swum 1:56s at the last two Trials (1:56.87, 1:56.94) but has added in the final both times.

He was 4th last year in 1:57.12, and has been 2:00.23 this year for one of his fastest-ever in-season times. That puts him in the top 10 among U.S. men so far this year

Kieran Smith is a somewhat surprise entrant in this event as the fifth seed, having last swum the event at Trials all the way back in 2017. He is entered in the 200 freestyle as well on Day 2. It seems unlikely that Smith would swim both events, but if he does swim the 200 back, he should be in the final. He has big-race experience and swam a personal best of 1:57.32 in March.

That ranks him as the second-fastest U.S. man this year, and the first year of an Olympic cycle is the best time to try something new. Still, it would be surprising to see him prioritise the 200 back over the 200 free, and it is much more likely he scratches as he did last year.

College stars to step up?

Josh Zuchowski missed out on the final last year after making it in 2022, but after slicing off a second in yards to break 1:40 and qualify for the NCAA ‘B’ final this year will be hoping to return. His best time of 1:58.11 is now nearly two years old and he was only 1:59.3 last year, but after his best college season so far should be looking to break 1:58.

Tommy Hagar also had a good year, breaking 1:40 multiple times, including at NCAAs to finish 12th. He was a Trials semi-finalist last year, going 1:57.80 in the heats and has already been 1:59.25 this season to rank 8th among U.S. men. That’s faster than he’s ever been outside of last year’s Trials, so he could move up into the top eight this time around.

Owen McDonald has historically been much better in yards than meters in the 200 backstroke, making three consecutive ‘A’ finals but only holding a long course best of 1:59.13. He is entered in the 200 freestyle on Day 2 as well, where he is seeded 18th, so will have a tough double if he chooses to swim both.

Caleb Maldari was 7th in the final last year and this year comes in seeded eighth with a time of 1:57.99, although his best stands at 1:57.86 from 2023. If he can swim around that time again, he’ll be on the edge of the final, but given his 0.63 drop in yards this year could break through into the low-1:57s.

He’s been 2:00.18 so far this year, almost identical to the 2:00.21 he swam in May last year so his preparations appear to be on track again. Maldari’s season best in the 100 is more than a second of his best, however, so there could be much more to come in the 200.

Fresh Faces

Wisconsin’s Michael Long set a new best of 1:58.80 at the ST TXLA Longhorn Aquatics meet just two weeks ago. Whilst he will need to drop around a second from that to be in with a shout of the final, it’s his first time under two minutes and shows that he’s trending in the right direction. He is also the sixth-fastest American so far this year.

David King, a teammate of Aiken’s from Virginia, made the semi-finals last year but has shone in his freshman year at Charlottesville. He was 1:38.36 at mid-season, and although he also scratched the 200 back at NCAAs, he set a new team record in the 200 free.

His best of 1:57.90 comes from the heats last year, and he’s been 2:00.78 so far this season. That’s three-tenths quicker than he was in May last year, and ranks him just outside the top-10 so far this year.

Gavin Keogh is still in high school, but is the third-fastest American so far this year with a time of 1:58.47. That is less than three-tenths off his best, the 1:58.19 he swam to win silver at Junior Pan Pacs last summer.

Keogh did add six-tenths at Trials earlier in 2024, finishing 27th. He is eligible for World Juniors this summer and is one of only two juniors entered under 2 minutes, so this may not be his target meet this year either

Who’s Not Swimming

Shaine Casas has moved away from the 200 backstroke since winning a bronze medal at Worlds in 2022 in a time of 1:55.46, despite having one of the highest ceilings in the event of all U.S. men. He’s dropped over a second in the 200 free this year and appears to be targeting a relay spot there. He had a season best of 1:58.51, but is not entered in the backstroke on Day 2

Hunter Tapp is another previous finalist who won’t be in Indianapolis. He competed for the U.S. at the inaugural European U23 championships in 2023 where he finished first in the 200 backstroke in 1:56.45.

He has not competed at all since graduating from NC State last year, with his last meet being the Olympic Trials where he finished 8th in the final of this event.

SWIMSWAM’S PICKS

Dark Horse- Will Modglin

Modglin is yet to break two minutes in long course, but is an NCAA ‘A’ finalist and has dropped nearly three seconds in yards since he set his meters best of 2:00.45 back in 2023. He was 53.59 in the 100 last year at Trials to make the final so certainly has long course figured out, and if he can transfer that to this longer event could jump up from the 24th seed. His best in yards is faster than any of the top-10 and Texas’ pro group is home to some of the best long-course backstrokers in the world – the pieces are all there to be put together in Indianapolis.